Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a low-power wide area (LPWA) technology that allows the connection of several devices across cellular telecommunications bands. NB-IoT is a low-power technology, and it is primarily used in applications and devices that operate at lower data rates. This technology also ensures a higher battery life of devices. The NB-IoT module, which incorporates the NB-IoT chipset, can operate for over 10 years with a single-cell primary battery. Although the LPWA market was developed over a decade ago, the technologies associated with it, such as SigFox and LoRa, did not have any formal standards. These technologies are expensive due to the high maintenance cost and have poor reliability and fewer security features. The introduction of NB-IoT in the LPWA market is a major development, and NB-IoT is expected to be one of the biggest areas of interest and development during the forecast period.

Technavio’s analysts forecast the global narrowband IoT chipset market to grow at a CAGR of 60.85% during the period 2017-2021.

Covered in this report

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global narrowband IoT chipset market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the sales of NB-IoT chipsets to various end-users such as mobile operators; telecommunications service providers; and the OEMs in the agriculture, automotive, and consumer and electric utility firms.

The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:

Americas

APAC

EMEA

Technavio's report, Global Narrowband IoT Chipset Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key vendors

Ericsson

Huawei Technologies

Intel

NORDIC SEMICONDUCTOR

SEQUANS

u-blox

Other prominent vendors

Altair Semiconductor

CommSoild

Nokia

Qualcomm Technologies

SAMSUNG

Vodafone

Market driver

Increasing adoption of M2M communication

For a full, detailed list, view our report

Market challenge

Growth of LTE-M

For a full, detailed list, view our report

Market trend

Deployment of the NB-IoT technology in airports

For a full, detailed list, view our report

Key questions answered in this report

What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?

Commenting on the report, an analyst from Technavio’s team said: “The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Deployment of the NB-IoT technology in airports. A major trend identified by Technavio is the deployment of NB-IoT in airports. Airports are adopting several intelligent systems and technologies to transition to smart airports. A smart airport involves the integration of several sensors and communication technologies to allow the seamless exchange of data between machines, as well as consumers. One of the major focus areas is to improve passenger processing at different checkpoints. Airports are looking at expanding their IT infrastructure to accommodate kiosks and other processing techniques to shorten the waiting time of the passengers. Therefore, there is a need to deploy an efficient communication technology, which will allow the interconnection of different areas in the airport.”

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Increasing adoption of M2M communication. M2M communication is the communication that is required for the exchange of information between devices without any manual assistance. Sensors are integrated into a machine, and these sensors are used to obtain data and record information. The NB-IoT technology is steadily replacing the conventional M2M channel technologies, such as Bluetooth, DSL, and WLAN, for applications (including smart meters and smart parking) that require low data rates and long-range connectivity. The M2M connections required for smart meters, smart parking, smart agriculture, and smart buildings have low data rates. Therefore, they require a technology that has been built to support low data rates. The NB-IoT technology, therefore, is an ideal choice; it works at low data rates (10s of kbps) and also in the 200 kHz spectrum. NB-IoT modules also have a battery life of 10 years.

Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Growth of LTE-M. The LTE-M technology has been developed to allow IoT devices to connect to a 4G network. LTE-M is an upcoming technology, and its growth can have drastic impacts on the sales of NB-IoT chipsets. The NB-IoT technology has several interoperability issues, which have limited its growth. These challenges have been overcome by the LTE-M standard. Also, there are marginal differences in the price and battery performance. LTE-M has a high performance efficiency and is highly flexible. LTE-M also supports data rates of around 100 kbps, and there is a lower service cost involved as it can be deployed in the present carriers that are available. LTE-M can be deployed on the existing 4G networks, which reduces the infrastructure costs.